A world without love
by ArmYourself
Summary: On the way home from a quest Gwaine and a group of knights stops at an tavern to get to a warm meal of food and shelter from the storm outside during the night. One of his fellow knights discovered the reclusive trio at the back of the tavern when the woman in the company slaps one of her traveling companions. Gwaine decides to let the King determine their fate.
1. One for Two, Two for One

She sat with her back towards me when I stepped into her office. Although I couldn't see her eyes, I knew that their gaze swept across the landscape outside the window. Everyone at one time or another has marveled at the beautiful red and orange colors of a sunset. The city was facing her feet and billowed in the red-orange light from the sunset. Soon the darkness of night should sweeping wave in over the city and cover it like a blanket with its comforting darkness.

She spun a half turn in her chair so she faced me. Her dark eyes met my eyes and gave me a heavy glance. I remembered clearly the time when her eyes had been pale brown and sparkled with joy. It was in the old days, before the Order was created and before we all split up into different territories. You see, once upon a time we have all been linked together. We lived in peace side by side and were dependent on each other for our society to function. But those days are just a distant dream for people who are tired of reality.

She handed me a red folder and signaled to me to leave the room. I was not slow to obey orders and turned quickly on my heel and hurried out of the room. I walked with determined steps into my cubicle in the other side of the building. Sitting on my desk sat Christopher happily and dangling his legs. He greeted as cheerfully as usual me and I nodded in response. It was strange that after all the things he has went through; he can still wake up in the morning with a big smile on his lips and keep it up all day.

"What's that?" He nodded toward the red folder that I carelessly threw on my keyboard and he snatched it up. "A new case from Katie." I did not sound too excited about it because I had just come back from another case and was still exhausted. "What is it about?" Christopher's curious question reminded me of a small child sitting on Christmas morning and pinching on packets and is almost beside him with curiosity about what he will get.

"I do not know, I just got it." Without waiting for my permission Christopher opened the folder and began to read out loud my next quest for me and everyone nearby who happened to feel the urge to listen. Normally, I would have been annoyed that he began to read without asking me first, but there was something about his eyes that made me relaxed and didn't want me to make a big deal out of it.

"The Empire of the Deeds was noted for its advanced pharmacology. It was later destroyed by a religious cult because of the people's extreme interest in forbidden things. During this era became the Empire of the Deeds very popular with cunning and insidious sorcerers who only wanted to scam other people on their values. In an effort to create credible fake copies of three mythical amulets managed a magician named Kleg Swinstool, to create the Amulets of Love, Doom, and Sorcery.

There are reports that a man have claimed to possess the amulets and are willing to sell them to anyone with the right amount of money. The man has a room at The Immortal Snake's Tavern, in Territory 264. "

Christopher looked happily up at me and said with a comforting smile, "Cheer up, Territory 264 is not that bad, it's actually quite nice. It could have been a lot worse." I gave him a half-hearted smile and he laughed at my pathetic attempt to smile. "Does it say anything about what amulets can be used for?" I raised my eyebrows and sat down in my office chair.

"Of course not." Christopher smiled politely but the frustration against the lack of information could clearly be seen on his smile. I wasn't surprised. Katie had a thing for wanting us to find out everything on our own hand. "Ask Flynn if he knows anything about it."

Flynn was one of the most intelligent beings I have ever met, but I still remember the days when everywhere he went he created chaos. Christopher jumped down from my desk and accompanied me to Flynn's library. In the beginning, it had been called the Library of the Order, but Flynn showed such passionate love against the library that the Order decided to rename it in his honor.

Flynn popped up behind a couple of bookshelves and broke into a big smile. "Christopher, you need to visit more often." He gave Christopher a stern look and shook his hand excitedly. He then turned to me and said, "What can I do for you, my dear?" I smiled at him and put a friendly hand on his shoulder. He had always kept his distance with me and I suspected that he was a little afraid of me. "You don't happen to have anything about the Amulets of Love, Doom and Sorcery, don't you?"

"Actually I do. Give me a minute." He hurried away, and believe me; it took less than a minute before he was back with an old dusty book. He handed it to me and I blew the dust off and read the title. _Practice Invocation._ I leafed through the book carefully and realized to my relief that the book was quite clear due to the well-done illustrations.

We thanked Flynn and headed back to my cubicle. While I was reading the book I found pieces of paper with notes, in a recognizable, but foreign language, commenting critically on related elements in the book .The bookmark's marking pages seemed to have no similar or related information.

But if one is to believe the book was the amulets extremely dangerous in the wrong hands. But that I could work out on my own. When was the last time you had to go on a quest to retrieve something harmless? According to the book had the amulet of Love, the power to destroy all forms of love. But at the same time the amulet had the power to make someone incurably in love with another.

The power of love in a single man's hand. That statement isn't particularly true since there are many magic items that control love. Most of them are well-hidden and forgotten, but some are still out there and on the move. Like this amulet, for example. The Amulet of Doom wasn't any better. The power to extinct existence itself. The last, the Amulet of Sorcery, gave the person who used it right the force equivalent one God.

And those Amulets where in my hands to find. If I failed, it could be the end of the universe as we know it. Although I'm not sure what would happen if the Amulet of Doom was used. Would we all just disappear into nothing? I could feel the headache creep into my head when I analyzed the matter. The question I wouldn't find the answer to before it was too late to do anything about it.

Christopher interrupted my thoughts by moaning out loud. I looked questioningly up at him with raised eyebrows. "I'm bored." I shook my head at his whining. "Go and play with Neil." I smiled when I thought of Neil. He was a hopeless case. He was suspended for unprofessional behavior for the fifth time in a year. If I knew him right, and I would say that I do, he was probably fucking some costume elf in the broom closet.

When Christopher came back with Neil, it proved itself that I had right. He had been fucking some guy in the broom closet. What a lucky guess. He kissed my forehead and sat down on my desk where Christopher had been sitting before. Christopher jumped up on his lap and smiled down at me. They gave each other a sympathetic glance between them, and already then I realized that they had something foolish planned.

They directed their attention to me and gave me the most helpless puppy eyes I've ever seen. My heart melted immediately and I had to force myself not to laugh at them. Both Christopher and Neil were better than this. "I expected Christopher to try something like this, but you Neil, I'm disappointed at you." I wasn't even a little disappointed at him. I was glad that he was doing something healthier than getting an STI from a guy he just met.

"I know you love me." He laughed playfully and winked at me. Christopher smiled too and I got up on my feet just to give them both two big kisses. Neil looked really thoughtful for a short moment and then stated; "I'm hungry." I patted him on the shoulder and said: "Let's grab a bite then." Neil and Christopher jumped down from my desk and I realized I probably should put a plant or similar there to save my desk from breaking every time they jumped up and down.

We sat and ate the homemade lasagna they gave us today in peace, when Neil said with a pleading look, "You need to save us from this place, it's like a prison. Please. We're begging you." Christopher nodded in agreement. "I'll think about it." They immediately started protesting, but I closed my ears for their whining. Neil was on suspension and Christopher… Well, Christopher is Christopher. I wasn't entirely sure that bringing them out to the wild was such a good idea. But I owed it to them since they would do the same for me. And then it struck me, the perfect idea. They both stopped chattering and looked with patient on me to stop smiling like a goof and tell them what was on my mind.

"Boys, I have a plan."


	2. A drunken man, a mother bear and a snake

The blue portal that would take us into territory 264 shone a clear green light that meant that it was activated and ready to use. Christopher grabbed my hand, looked determined at me and together we went through the portal. The air went out of my lungs, but soon it was over. Christopher had stumbled when we landed and low to the ground and laughed. Neil and I looked strange at him and he explained that it had been so cool to get to do it again.

I looked around and enjoyed the scenery. The forest was full of large, stately trees that stood up against the sky in the afternoon sun. Summer had come and with it a warmth that made the day pleasant and the nights easier to sleep through for those who slept under the open sky. The trees gave shade to those who traveled down on the ground, land filled with grass, and here and there small shrubs. The trees stood sparse, so there was no difficulty in getting forward. The forest was quiet except for the birds chirping and the winds noise, along with branches rustling as they swayed back and forth.

Christopher and Neil discussed the feeling to be out on the field again, and I walked silently beside them deep in my thoughts. "Don't you leave my heart in misery." I hadn't said a word, but yet she knew what I was going to say. I was relieved that she didn't put up a fight, but her unnaturally neutral voice scared me. I walked away and uncertainty came crawling up my spine. I managed to shake off most of the uncertainty, but there was still a little bit of doubt there even though I fought my best to ignore it.

When I told the boys the news they almost went insane in happiness. They threw themselves around my neck and I even got a kiss on the mouth from Neil. Since we had plans to travel the next morning and the boys were already packed in the belief that I would succeed, we had nothing to do in the rest of the afternoon except to study the maps we had over Territory 264.

It didn't take us much time. All of us had been visiting Territory 264 before. It probably had changed a little bit since last time, but judging from the map; it hadn't. We sat in the quiet library and stared at the map that lay before us. Neither of us said anything; there was nothing to say. After ten minutes of worthless staring Neil began to drum on the table with his hands. Christopher took after and soon we were kicked out of the library.

After we picked up our things we got escorted to the portal. Once we had changed into clothes that fitted the territory and received the territory's currency, we were ready to go. I have to admit that Neil looked more gorgeous than usual with his new outfit. A pair of a somewhat loose-fitting leather pants, a gray old fashioned shirt and a simple leather vest.

I on the other hand was thanking the Gods that Cara had come to my rescue when they tried to force me to wear some lame green medieval dress. Cara let me loan one of her skin-tight breathtaking-away leather suits. If you had low self-esteem before, this was definitely a boost. The suit highlighted your natural shapes and made you appear more attractive and dominant. Cara was one of my role models. She never hesitated and showed great loyalty towards the Order and to her friends.

Neil interrupted my thoughts by tackling me. He laughed at my frustrated facial expression and I raised his eyebrow to ask what was so important. He nodded at the tavern just a few feet away and smiled. I sighed at my own stupidity. I had lost the perception of how far we had gone while I had dreamed myself away.

We went to the tavern and the lovely odor hit us like a battering ram in the stomach. "Whatever it is that smells like this, I'm going to eat it." Neil smiled at me and gave me an easy nudge. When we started walk towards the bar I noticed that everyone was staring at us. It made me feel uncomfortable, but not as much as it would have had felt a few years ago.

A lovely lady named Herrud rented us a room and then sent her after her fair daughter to show us our room. We left our things in the room and went down again to catch something to eat. Herrud wasn't only a nice person; she was also an amazing cooker. Her food was among the tastiest I've ever eaten. And I've eaten a lot of food in my life. There was a man who stood out from the crowd and I knew as soon as I saw him that it was he that we were looking for.

He had dark circles around the eyes, which signed that he did not have slept for a long time and he clung himself firmly around the bottle in his hand as if it were the only thing that kept him above the surface of a deep lake. I nudged Christopher in the side and nodded at the man. Christopher nodded at me and asked quietly; "How are going to play this game?" "I can talk to him." Neil looked over at the man again.

"Are you sure you're the right person to talk with a depressed alcoholic?" I didn't mean to be mean to him and gave him a knowing look. "I've been there too." Neil stood up and pierced me with his divine gaze. I shook my head and said, "Fine, go and get him." As Neil went Herrud took his place. "I heard you talking about Casimir, what do you want with that poor man?" It was hard to tell if she was more curious or if she was more upset that we disturbed him.

"He has something that belongs to us." I smiled apologetically at her. "And what could that be, if you do not mind me asking?" She sounded irritated by my assertion. "Some amulets." Christopher came to my rescue and gave her a dazzling smile. "Oh. There is no need to disturb him about them, he have already gotten rid of those." I stopped the curse that lay on my tongue and asked instead: "You do not know to whom he sold them?" "It was a young fellow, not much older than you yourself." She smiled goofily at the memory of him.

"What do you know about Casimir?" Christopher smiled innocently and laid a hand on her shoulder. She giggled and blushed, apparently not used to a man's touch. "He's been drinking away his pain since the girl he loved married another man." Christopher nodded understandingly and said something about compassion and pity. Herrud soon disappeared and Neil took back his seat with a confident smile. We compared discovers and then began to discuss the influence of alcohol and prima facie it was right to exploit someone who was affected. When we in the evening went to bed, we had decided to stay one more day. If not for the food so that we did not really know where we were going next.

I woke up to the chirping of the birds and made me prepared for a new day. I went down and saw Herrud's daughter wipe the tables and set the chairs right for when the rest of the taverns guests were going to wake up. She looked horrified at me and immediately began to apologize for the way it looked. It was clear that they did not used to have early-bird guests. Herrud popped up from the kitchen to see what was happening and when she saw me I was afraid she would get a heart attack.

"Trouble sleeping, my dear?" It was clear that she was a mother when she used that voice. "Oh, I slept fine, thank you." Herrud nodded and asked what I wanted for breakfast. I explained that I was going to wait for the boys to wake up. She nodded relived, and I sat down at a table to wait. Two hours later, the rest of tavern came to life. People began to come down for breakfast and I sat there in my loneliness, waiting for my traveling companions would wake up. Finally Herrud went and woke them despite my protests. They soon came down and Christopher looked as if he had been crying. Neil on the other hand was as glad as Christopher used to be. I hugged Christopher and asked if anything had happened.

Neil laughed and said: "He would have been happier if you did not send the mother bear after us." "I tried to stop her." I shrugged my shoulders and we sat down at our table. Christopher hung with his head and I saw how Neil started thinking, so I decided to make an attempt to save Christopher from Neil's plans. Because everyone knows, when Neil is thinking, something bad is coming. I patted Christopher on the cheek and whispered comforting to him, "Cheer up, or so Neil will try to make you happy and you know there's only one way Neil know how to make people happy."

Christopher looked shocked at Neil. "Would you do that?" Neil smiled teasingly. "Do what honey?" Christopher blushed and Neil burst into laughter. "You're not directly my type, but yes, I'd do anything for you." Christopher smiled and thanked him with a hug. Herrud came and took our order and soon we got to eat the most delicious pancakes I've ever tasted. The day went to interrogate us about how the boy had looked. He had been blonde and attractive, so much so we could get out of Herrud and Casimir.

As the evening came, the storm had broken loose. The rain pelted hard against the window and I could not help but praise God that I was not out there to meet wind whipped against the tavern's window and grabbed a few things that were not adequately secured. But the worst was yet the thunder with his rumble and his devastating lightning that set fire to the trees in the forest. Fire as the rain fortunately extinguished.

When the door opened we knew little about what awaited us.


End file.
